A Spectacle
Palms up towards the blazing sun
As I am blinded by the light
Unshaded
Awaiting the spikes
Pointed…sharpened…
To be driven by hammers
Arms outstretched and bound
No one to halt the deed
Hoisted upright, suspended
In front of the jeering crowd
All are strangers to my agony
None have any idea what they are seeing
As my heart sinks within
And I know the end is near
While having to see these beasts
Shouting out their insults
I look down and notice
The branches beneath my feet
The hooded one with the torch
Why does he hide his face?
Is it from shame, or from fear
That he would be recognized
And remembered
By the throng?
Isn’t suspension enough to kill
Without the flames?
Why the double-duty punishment
When I’ve done nothing wrong
Except for being different?
Not like the observers
A stranger in their land
Innocent of crimes
Fiends need a spectacle
A brutal fight, a sight not seen before
Attention to the matter
No consideration of consequence
In their blackened hearts
And wasted minds
They claim to value life
While mine is taken
Because I am not like them.